RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ Federal officials say that nearly 165,000 Virginians have enrolled or re-enrolled in plans sold through the health insurance marketplace. A report released Tuesday by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services captured statistics for the first month of open enrollment, a period that ended Dec. 15. Fifty-four percent of those enrollees signed up for the first time. Forty-six percent re-enrolled in a plan after purchasing one during the six-month open enrollment period that ended March 31. The numbers don’t include automatic re-enrollment by about 216,000 Virginians who had signed up in the last full enrollment period. Officials say 83 percent of those who selected plans during the month were eligible for federal tax credits to help them pay for coverage. The open enrollment period lasts through Feb. 15.
